“Not for fame or reward, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity, but in simple obedience to duty.” --Inscription at Arlington Cemetary

"Each of these heroes stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase in its blessings." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Friday, May 27, 2005

Army CW2 Joshua Michael Scott

Remember Our Heroes

Army CW2 Joshua Michael Scott, 28, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

CW2 Scott died from injuries sustained on May 26, 2005 in Buhriz, Iraq, when his OH-58 (Kiowa Warrior) came under small arms attack and crashed. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Chief Warrant Officer Joshua Michael Scott, a 1995 graduate of Sun Prairie High School, enlisted in the Army immediately after high school, in what family members say was the culmination of a lifelong dream to serve in the military.

Melissa Scott, a younger sister, recalled watching her brother build forts and play Army games as a child.

"This was what he wanted to do, even before he knew about it," she said.

Scott arrived in Iraq in November with the 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

According to the Department of Defense, he was killed in the helicopter crash along with Chief Warrant Officer Matthew Scott Lourey, 40, of East Bethel, Minn.

Just before heading overseas, Scott and his wife, Sherri, celebrated the arrival of their third child, a boy named Kross. The couple met at Sun Prairie High School and were married in 1999.

Sherri Scott said her husband tried to shield her from the dangers of serving in Iraq. But after nearly 10 years in the military, he was excited about getting his first chance at active combat.

"He was very proud to serve his country," she said. "He felt like this was finally his opportunity."

In addition to their son, the couple has a 2-year-old daughter, Trynity, and a 16-year-old son, Kenneth.

Sherri Scott said his children were the top priority in Joshua Scott's life. He believed joining the U.S.-led mission in Iraq would make their world more safe, she said.